User blog:BgRSSS31517/Looking at Famous Folk Tales
'Analyzing the Male Characters in Slavic Folktales' Folktales involving either a werewolf or a creature that seeks to cause harm to young girls were more commonly seen in earlier Slavic culture. Classic examples of these types of folktales include "Little Red Hat" and "Little Red Riding Hood". The tale "Little Red Hat" depicts an ogre that essentially manipulates a young girl to only devour her. An ogre can be seen in many different viewpoints but the most important idea regarding this creature is that its goal is to attack and eventually consume its victim. The victim in many of Slavic folktales are young girls. A common theme in these tales is that these young girls are innocent children who are tricked into thinking that are going to stay with a relative (mainly grandmothers) but realize that this confrontation would soon turn into a deadly one. This evil intent of an ogre or any creature for that matter is one reason why they are feared by ordinary people in society. The ability to manipulate young children is what makes an ogre such a dangerous creature. A sad reality regarding young girls in many Slavic folktales is that their beauty, charm, and innocence are the reasons for why they are the chosen victims of such evil creatures like ogres. The folktale "Little Red Riding Hood" has a similar theme like "Little Red Hat" where a male creature (a werewolf this time) tricks a young girl into thinking she will confront her grandma but does so to find that she will be devoured by the creature. The werewolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" has a more cunning depiction compared to werewolves seen in other pieces of work. His cleverness allows him to dupe young Little Red Riding Hood into thinking she is confronting her grandmother. Rather, the werewolf feeds (literally) on the innocence of the young girl and does exactly what he envisioned to do. This tale incorporates sexual ideals and has implications regarding the way the young girl is treated by an older male figure. Taking advantage of a young girl because of her beauty is not just seen in folktales but in modern times. These two tales give readers vivid descriptions of how young girls are vulnerable to more dominating figures like ogres and werewolves who use their stature and physical abilities to take control of innocent young girls. It is sad to see that perceptions seen in non-existent worlds like Slavic folktales also exist in real life and many of the same sexual motivations by older male figures are present in today's world. References: Lang, Andrew. The Blue Fairy Book, 5th edition (London: Longmans, Green, and Company, 1891), pp. 51-53. Lang's source: Perrault, Charles, Histoires ou contes du temps passe, avec des moralites: Contes de ma mere l'Oye (Paris, 1697). Schneller, Christian, "Das Rothhutchen," Marchen und Sagen aus Walschtirol: Ein Beitrag zur deustschen Sagenkunde (Innsbruck: Verlage der Wagner'schen Universitats-Buchhandlung, 1867), no. 6, pp. 9-10. Translated by Ashliman, D.L. Copyright 2007. La Category:Blog posts